Participants at the 11th Africa Working Group on Disaster Risk Reduction (photo: UNISDR)

By Evelyne Karanja

Nairobi, Kenya, 18 October 2017 - The African Union has announced plans to increase the number of member States with national disaster loss data bases and to put a training programme in place in preparation for the roll-out next year of the Sendai Monitor, the UNISDR-backed mechanism for measuring progress in reducing disaster losses. 

The head of UNISDR’s Regional Office for Africa, Mr. Amjad Abbashar, said: “The African Union is a critical partner in raising the level of disaster risk management in Africa and making progress on the seven targets of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction including reducing the numbers of people affected by disasters which was the focus of this year’s International Day for Disaster Reduction on October 13. 

“This work is important when the region is struggling with the interplay between poverty, drought, environmental degradation, climate change, and unplanned urbanization. The African Union is investing in better risk governance through these initiatives.” 

These key areas were highlighted at the Eleventh Session of the Africa Working Group (AWG) on Disaster Risk Reduction held in Mombasa, Kenya from 26-27 September 2017. The meeting, organized by the African Union Commission’s Disaster Risk Reduction Unit within the Department of Rural Economy and Agriculture (AUC –DREA), with support from UNISDR Regional Office for Africa, and hosted by the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) brought together 60 participants drawn from African Member States, Regional Economic Communities (RECs), UN agencies, NGOs, academia, media and youth. 

“Disasters continue to rage in Africa – the recent mudslides in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Sierra Leone that saw hundreds of lives lost and numerous livelihoods destroyed, as well as the recurring drought in the Horn of Africa, illustrate the urgent need for concrete actions that will enhance resilience against both natural and anthropogenic hazards” said Godfrey Bahiigwa, Director of Rural Economy and Agriculture at African Union Commission. 

The AWG participants committed to organize a Training of Trainers for AUC and RECs on the global Sendai Monitor. They agreed to develop indicators and a monitoring framework for the Africa Plan of Action in coherence with indicators developed for measuring progress on implementing the Sendai Framework, Sustainable Development Goals, and AUC’s Agenda 2063. Participants also called for strong engagement with national statistical institutions in this regard. 

The next AWG meeting to review progress is scheduled for March 2018.